Over the years many people have recommended I read The Wheel of Time series (since Tolkien is one of my all-time favorite authors), but for one reason or the other I’ve never actually picked up one of the books, and so they slipped out of memory. I was recently reintroduced to this series, and I finally was able to get my hands on a copy and start reading. I have to say, I was blown away.

At first, The Eye of the World seems like Tolkien fan-fiction, and it’s clear that a lot of elements Jordan did borrow from Tolkien’s work. When I first began reading, I really thought The Eye of the World would turn out to be incredibly similar to The Lord of the Rings and I would end up unbelievably disappointed. But, Jordan quickly began adding in his own creativity, the story took off in its own direction, and I began to fly through the pages. The Eye of the World is a brilliant start to an epic series that so far holds its own, and it’s one that I can’t wait to finish. As a lover of fantasy and an avid reader, I can’t believe I’ve waited so long to dive into this series.

This book was so much more than I expected. It’s brilliant. It’s complex. It has such an incredible level of detail that makes fantasy-lovers squeal in delight and want to read more. It has layers upon layers upon layers that will take many, many readings to fully understand. It’s a book I can see myself consistently returning to over the years, and one I look forward to re-reading multiple times. Jordan manages to include a level of detailed world-building that is immersive, stunning, and comprehensive - a level that many other authors struggle to achieve.

It’s clear from the first book that The Wheel of Time has an overarching plot that may take several books (or the entire series, which I haven’t read and therefore can’t tell you) to resolve, but that doesn’t mean the first book lacks substance. There is so much that goes on during the first book that I’m highly anticipating the rest of the series. Beyond the foreshadowing, nuances, symbolism, and sheer amount of details that make my heart happy, there is an incredible amount of action throughout The Eye of the World and a series of side plots, some of which get resolved and some that do not. I generally tend to lose interest towards the ends of books, whether because something happens that I dislike or because the story is about to end when I don’t want to leave that world, but I never reached that point while reading The Eye of the World.

This book is so much more than Tolkien fan-fiction, and so far part of a series I would recommend to any fantasy reader. It’s one that is meant for the reader to take their time, immerse themselves, and enjoy. I just finished The Eye of the World, but I already want to start reading it again, since I know in future reads I will gain better understanding, make connections, and find details that I missed in my first read.